During laser cutting of a pipe, or other enclosed workpieces, the melt waste is deposited in the form of splashes inside the pipe, which often necessitates an additional processing step to clean the pipes. The power of the laser beam that is not absorbed by the kerf hits the opposite lower side of the pipe where it produces overheating and forms a ridge or melts this pipe region.
The technical teaching of Germany Patent DE 202 16 214 U1 discloses a hollow duct that is connected to a suction blower. During laser cutting, the hollow duct is located below the workpiece to be processed (e.g., in the pipe to be processed). The hollow duct suctions off particles, vapors and gases that are produced during cutting.
For the processing of pipes, a small pipe diameter requires an even smaller duct diameter to be able to introduce the duct into the inside of the pipe. Small duct diameters, however, impair the flow conditions and the suction effect. Moreover, suctioning with very small pipe diameters is not possible with conventional means.